The Chemours Company, a global chemistry company, today announces its strong support for the automotive industry’s ask for an extended transition timeline for fluorinated gases (F-Gases) in mobile air conditioning (MAC) applications under the proposed European Union PFAS restriction.
Industry submissions during the regulatory public consultation process: the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association and German Association of the Automotive Industry agree that a minimum 13-year transition timeline is needed for light-duty electric vehicles, and 20 years for all other vehicle types. The organizations cited the lack of a drop-in replacement for the current MAC refrigerant as the driving factor.
“Chemours supports the broader automotive value chain representatives in calling for a practical, science-based transition timeline for automotive air conditioning, protecting consumer access to safe, efficient, and sustainable vehicle cooling. The reality is that next-generation refrigerant solutions must be developed, validated, integrated, and scaled before they can be deployed responsibly. For context, the last refrigerant transition from R-134a to R-1234yf, which was a near drop-in replacement, took more than 15 years to achieve. A minimum 13-year derogation reflects the reality of such a complex transition”
-Joseph Martinko, President of Thermal & Specialized Solutions at Chemours.
Currently, only two non-PFAS refrigerants, propane (R-290) and CO₂ (R-744), are being evaluated for MAC applications. The industry submissions identify significant barriers that prevent either option from serving as a near-term drop-in replacement for R-1234yf:
- Propane presents significant safety and regulatory barriers for MAC applications due to its high flammability and restrictions in key markets, including the U.S. (MAHLE #2064)2, requiring new system designs, safety controls, validation protocols, and manufacturing adaptations before broad deployment would be feasible. This flammability risk is recognized across applications.
- CO₂ systems require substantially different architectures and higher-pressure components, particularly in warm climates, which can increase energy consumption, reduce vehicle range, and add cost and complexity to vehicle design
- Either alternative technology would also require a full redesign and validation cycle, as refrigerants are not “drop-in” solutions but determine system architecture, vehicle integration, safety and servicing requirements, and overall system performance before deployment at scale.
Together, these technical, safety, regulatory, and manufacturing considerations demonstrate that the industry requires an extended transition period aligned with automotive design, validation, and production cycles.
The automotive value chain has also identified practical measures that can be advanced during the derogation period to further reduce emissions. The report released earlier this year found that progressive emission-control measures, including maximum leak rates, mandatory inspection, and refrigerant recovery, can reduce annual emissions by up to 60%.
Chemours remains committed to working across the automotive value chain to advance lower-emission, high-performance cooling solutions. Through its Opteon portfolio and continued investment in refrigerant innovation, the company is supporting solutions that meet evolving automotive needs while advancing European climate, safety, and mobility objectives.
The Chemours Company is a global leader in providing industrial and specialty chemical products for markets, including coatings, plastics, refrigeration and air conditioning, transportation, semiconductor and advanced electronics, general industrial, and oil and gas. Through our three businesses – Thermal & Specialized Solutions, Titanium Technologies, and Advanced Performance Materials – we deliver application expertise and chemistry-based innovations that solve customers’ biggest challenges. Our flagship products are sold under prominent brands such as Opteon, Freon, Ti-Pure, Nafion, Teflon, Viton, and Krytox. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, and listed on the NYSE under the symbol CC, Chemours has approximately 5,700 employees and 28 manufacturing sites and serves approximately 2,400 customers in approximately 110 countries
